Review of The Crucible (1996) by Mark F — 21 Nov 2010

You know that wonderful part in a rather low key story, most awesome in a period piece when the world of the characters falls apart around them and it typically divulges into well written displays of passion from these characters that have been fleshed out in the duller parts thus making reading the play or novel and entertaining experience as well as intellectual if only for a moment? I've always loved Arthur Miller's The Crucible because the entire play is that moment stretched out and it doesn't get tiresome and more importantly has something relevant to say. Miller was a playwright in America in the 50s a time when paranoia was at its worst and accusations and mistreatment, along with general hysteria ran rampant in what is now called "The Red Scare." His reaction in support of his friends and colleagues being blacklisted was to courageously about a similar and infamous time in History...The Salem Witch Trials, as a bit of an "F-- You" to McCarthy and all the others involved. The problem here is it doesn't feel very needed, at the time it was made there was nothing happening for this to seem a reaction too so it just comes off as a bit melodramatic especially since it grossly overdoes certain elements of the play and hams it up a bit. But at the same time for all its occasional dullness and lack of necessity it functions well as a period and while making some needed changes from stage to screen maintains the feel of the original pretty well. So is this tale of Puritan woe worth your time this Turkey Season? Let's take a lecherous look.

Miller took a few details involving the little documented Salem Witch Trials, (ie. the names of people involved) and like many great playwrights before him including the Bard, decided not to let historical accuracy get in the way of telling a good story. Local Reverend Samuel Parris (Bruce Davison who captures the infuriating and ignorant character perfectly) is daughter has recently taken ill after being caught dancing with some other girls including her orphan cousin Abigail (Winona Ryder at her bitchy best though she can ham it up a bit at times) dancing in the forest at night with the Barbados native slave Tituba. Though reluctant as it will taint his name he is persuaded by the cover story of Abigail, believed by obnoxious busy bodies The Putnams and young witch expert Reverend Hale (Rob Campbell an interesting take on the character) that the explanation is the girls and Tituba have been corrupted by witches amidst the town folk. Suddenly a court is convened presided over by cruel Judge Danforth (Paul Scofield, you want to punch him in the face so he does his job well) and no one is safe from the wrath of the young girls putting people to death no less with simple accusation of witchery. However the story's main plot comes from how Abigail used to work for local farmer John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis not how I pictured the character but his performance is the film's saving grace his final speech is heart rending) and had a lecherous affair with him and as a result she still loves him...enough to cry witch on his wife much to Proctor's dismay. It's a good story of the ignorance of mob mentality and society's parodical tendency to get swept up in paranoias' and hysterias at the cost of lives occasionally, but this adaption I found with lack of events to make this message terribly relevant decides to focus on some of the underlying themes and most powerfully that of honor and maintaining your honor no matter what.

I had mixed feelings watching made all the more mixed by the fact the screenplay was written by Miller himself which makes it a bit hard to criticize. As a period film it falls into the trappings of getting the sets and costumes down to a Tee only to lose the audience's interest with boring and colorless directing. And while some performances like Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Scofield and Peter Vaughan as Giles Corey great American badass are right on the money and a joy to watch far too many of them miss the mark it's a good but fairly melodramatic play leaving much room for bad actors to overact and too many people most noticeably Karron Graves as whiny Mary Warren fall into that trap to make this a truly enjoyable effort. It's not terrible but I don't know if I can justify saying its worth your time either unless you're a big fan of someone involved.

This movie is neither a success nor a failure it falls into the much larger category of boring and forgettable calculated misfires. It's not without its merits and the movie world is not worse off because of it, I dare say it's worth watching just for Daniel Day-Lewis delivery of the words "Because it is my name!" but as a whole I say its best to let this one fade into the annals of average and mediocre forgotten films which it pretty much already is so I have little to complain about. On a lighter not I was a bit weirded out by all the actors I recognized from much campier Blockbuster efforts including Bruce Davison who is most famous as the Senator from the First X-Men movie and Jeffery Jones most famous as the Principle in Ferris Bueller and ironically the dad in Beetlejuice also with Winona Ryder. I guess they're dedicated thespians at heart they just have to put bread on the table.